The announcement was made by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which said the operation began at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the orders of President Donald Trump.
The United States military has launched what it described as "self-defence strikes" against Iran following the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter, marking a fresh escalation in the already volatile standoff between Washington and Tehran.
The announcement was made by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which said the operation began at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the orders of President Donald Trump.
In a statement posted on its official social media account, CENTCOM said the strikes were carried out in response to the destruction of a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter a day earlier.
"U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief's direction, in response to yesterday's downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression," the military command said on Tuesday.
